Running a restaurant is a lot like entertaining guests at home for chef David Traina, our Chef Chat subject for this week. He keeps the dishes on the menu simple with ingredients he knows and loves.
Several of the dishes at Liberty Market are things Traina would serve right out of his home kitchen. But one dish has more sentimentality than the rest.
The apricot glazed chicken has ties to how Traina met his wife and business partner Kiersten and is particularly special for him. The two met while catering an event together and the main course was, you guessed it, an apricot glazed chicken.
The tangy, sweet apricot sauce is served over the grilled chicken with a healthy dollop of whipped sweet potatoes.
Apricot Glazed Chicken:
The Chicken: Four medium-sized chicken breasts, trimmed
The Marinade:
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
1 teaspoon of chopped rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
Add salt and pepper to taste
Combine all of the ingredients in a large Ziploc bag along with the chicken breasts. Allow the chicken to marinade for at least 4 hours. Then grill the chicken until cooked thoroughly.
The Glaze:
2 cups of apricot preserves
1 cup of chicken stock
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (if you would like more spice, add more chiles)
1/8 cup of fresh parsley, chopped
Add salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
The Potatoes:
3 large sweet potatoes or yams
heavy whipping cream
finely grated parmesan cheese
chopped basil
Add salt and pepper to taste
Wash the sweet potatoes and pierce liberally with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees until soft throughout (time will vary with size of potatoes). Remove potatoes from the oven and cool. Peel the skin off and put the hot potatoes in large mixing bowl. Mix until sweet potatoes have broken down in the mixer. Add heavy cream and parmesan to the potatoes in 1/2 half cup increments to taste while mixing. Then, add the salt and pepper to taste. Finally, add 1/2 cup chopped basil when everything is incorporated.
The Plate:
Place a dollop of the whipped potatoes in the center of the plate. Lay the chicken on top of the potatoes and cover with the glaze.
